Busy Week for Towing Companies

MILTON, Pa. -- The frigid weather does not do vehicles any favors, especially ones that require diesel fuel. People who know that all too well are tow truck drivers and mechanics.

For one of the first times in three days, Kevin Cromley has a break from his job as a tow truck driver and mechanic in Milton. It's been a long week. With the frigid weather we've had, it's been a busy few days for the team at Cromley Truck and Trailer Repair.

"Tuesday it got really cold, Tuesday night. Then it just got out of hand," Robert Friend said.

"It's been pretty brutal out there with the cold weather. Fuel is gelling up, brakes freezing fast, lines are breaking," Cromley said.

Cromley and his crew are a 24-hour company, and all four drivers have been working around the clock helping truck drivers.

"On a normal day, we all do eight to 12 calls, it varies with the temperatures. This week it's been probably 20 to 30 calls a day per employee," Cromley said.

"You look down at your phone and, 'ah, not again,'" Friend said.

The freezing temperatures are not only hard on the trucks, but they also make it harder for the mechanics to do their jobs.

"A lot of the little jobs you do, you really can't work with gloves on, so you work for five, ten minutes until your hands hurt and then you put them in your pockets with hand warmers or you get in the truck for a few minutes and warm up. It can turn an hour job into a three-hour job," Friend said.

"It's very, very challenging with this cold weather trying to stay warm and work outside," Cromley said.